When Indiana Pacers small forward Danny Granger was struggling through the preseason with a balky left knee, there were fears among those with the team that the injury could cause him to miss some time going into the regular season.

But, it turns out, Granger’s knee is almost in a worst-case-scenario situation—he received an injection to help him with patellar tendinosis on Tuesday, the team announced, and will be out for up to three months.

Including the four games he has missed, that is likely to put Granger out for about 50 games this season. Granger had problems with his left knee going back to his senior year in college, when he had surgery before returning from the injury, but it hasn’t affected him in his NBA career. The most time he has missed was 20 games in 2009-10, and that was because of a plantar fascia injury in his right foot.

He played through knee discomfort during Indiana's playoff run in May, but the condition, commonly called "jumper's knee," flared up again during offseason workouts. Granger underwent blood-platelet treatment in September.

It is a sizable blow for the Pacers, who returned their starting five and bolstered their bench in the offseasaon, hoping to build on last season’s trip to the conference semifinals. Granger was the team’s leading scorer last year, averaging 18.7 points.

When it was first announced that Granger would be out indefinitely, Pacers coach Frank Vogel remained upbeat, pointing out his team’s depth. The Pacers have All-Star Roy Hibbert at center, former All-Star David West at power forward, promising wing Paul George on board along with free-agent signee Gerald Green.

“We still have a heck of a basketball team even with Danny out, and we’ll miss him,” Vogel said. “But David West is a beast, Roy Hibbert is a beast, George Hill is a beast, and Paul George is coming (on). Gerald Green has been one of our best players in camp, and our bench is much-improved. There’s still a lot of reason for optimism.”

However, the Pacers have looked awful offensively to start the season, averaging just 91.0 points on 40.1 percent shooting in the first four games.

They’re shooting just 27.8 percent from the 3-point line, with Hill (4-for-19), Green (5-for-17) and D.J. Augustin (4-for-14) among the worst offenders. Vogel had hoped that, with Granger out, Green could step in at shooting guard, with George moving over to small forward. But Green’s tough start shooting and defensive shortcomings forced Vogel to try Sam Young in the starting lineup on Monday in a loss to San Antonio.

Beyond Green and Young, Indiana’s only depth on the wing figures to be rookie guards Ben Hansbrough and Orlando Johnson. At 15 players, the team’s roster is full, but it is possible that the Pacers will scour the free-agent market for a veteran wing to fill in for Granger in the short term.